New Zealand: A green place to get around
Travellers with a 'green' conscience can take heart. Getting around New Zealand is now a whole lot easier on the environment.
2007 has seen the introduction of a number of environmentally friendly transport options including a 'green' car share scheme, a hybrid-only taxi company and a pledge by the country's largest transport network to become carbon neutral by 2010.
Cityhop
Cityhop - New Zealand's first car share scheme - lets members rent environmentally friendly vehicles by the hour. Initially based in Auckland, members of Cityhop use sophisticated swipe card technology to access the cars in parking buildings throughout the City's central business district. Prime Minister Helen Clark has endorsed the scheme describing it as a great initiative towards getting more cars off the road.
Founder Victoria Carter says the benefits are simple. ''Cityhop encourages public transport use which means fewer cars on the road so less congestion, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, less pollutants in our air and waterways, as well as convenience and money savings.''
For Carter, Cityhop's ultimate goal is to make inner city dwellers think twice about buying a car. ''It is a convenient and eco-friendly way of having access to a car. It supports those who live in the inner city or use public transport''.
Matakabs
With its hybrid only fleet, Matakabs is the first taxi company of its kind in New Zealand.
Based in Matakana - a small enclave dotted with vineyards just north of Auckland - Matakabs is the ideal transport solution for commuters wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. They also cost just the same as a normal taxi.
For founder Niki Bezzant, setting up a hybrid taxi company was a logical choice. ''Choosing an environmentally friendly option shouldn’t have to cost more money or be less convenient than a conventional option,'' she says.
Intercity
For Intercity - the country's largest national transport operator - investing $20 million over the past five years towards lowering its emissions wasn't enough.
The company has pledged to become the world's first carbon neutral public transport company by 2010.
''This is not about writing a cheque to buy carbon credits to off-set our emissions. We are fundamentally changing the way we do business to reduce our carbon footprint and the carbon footprint generated by our Kiwi and international customers,'' says Intercity CEO Malcolm Johns.
InterCity Group carries about 1.5 million passengers nationwide each year, including 500,000 international visitors to New Zealand, and operates over 140 daily services a day to more than 600 towns, cities and communities across New Zealand.
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